Young Lives Camp!

Pure Joy

Joy: a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated.

Do you consider ‘pure joy’ as you look in the face of 15-year-old pregnant teen or mother?  Let’s be honest, joy is not the first thing we think about in these situations, but it is what God instructs us to do.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…  James 1:2

We were all witnesses to pure joy at Young Lives camp this year and continue to be amazed by God’s workmanship as he brought together an unexpected group of people to live, play, eat, fellowship and worship together in His name.

The people (servants all, doing God’s work)

Staffers - who make it happen, work tirelessly to raise money, organize, prepare teachings, skits, games & plan for months before we all show up for 3 days of camp

Work crew - appropriately named.  Teen workers, cooks and childcare workers that serve God by serving us.  They work hard behind the scenes day and night to make it all look easy & fun.

Camp Doctor & Nurse – professionals who volunteer their time & make it possible for us to have campers on the property & are prepared for any emergency situation.

Mentor Moms & college YL leaders - who have the privilege of spending time with the teen moms & babies, attending club, having lunch & doing life through out the year

Campers - teen moms or soon to be moms and their babies/toddlers

Why take time in this blog to explain ‘the people’?  Because ‘the people’ is an important strength of this Young Lives ministry. It’s easy to get groups of people together that share a season of life, common work or social group, but the real miracle happens when you mix it up and let God’s work begin.  For a time it’s awkward, uncomfortable & takes a real effort when God calls his people to ‘do life’ together out of our comfort zone.

This is the Joy that happens:

·      Leaders that plan & pull off a ‘spa time’ for the girls - an hour & a half of pure pampering, candlelight, face masks, washing of hands & feet, nails done & silent prayers offered up to the Lord for these young lives and the young lives they are holding close.

·      Teenage boys carrying babies in their playpens at 10pm - oooing & ahhhing at those cute babies as they try to keep them asleep.

·      Leaders making fools of themselves - funny hair & costumes just for our entertainment, to make us laugh together & share the gospel through humor.

·      Moms, campers & leaders getting wet, messy – everyone doing silly things all in the name of a game and not even caring how they look or who’s looking.

·      Teen moms pulling together - borrowing clothes & dressing each other for a special dinner.

·      Cooks doing what they do – making amazing meals, baking cookies late at night, after a long day of meal preparation to share with us before bed.

·      Teens caring for other teens babies – allowing the mothers to have a little fun camp time without their kids, maybe they have even been in class together at school or passed each other in the hall (don’t tell me that doesn’t change someone’s opinion or response to the other).

·      Campers being overwhelmed by love – seeing and responding to the love & care that is being showered on them

·       Holding a baby you don’t know – just so mom can take a shower and clean up.  You receiving the real blessing.

·      Seeing a 17 year old soothe a baby in the middle of the night - gently cooing and rocking an upset baby with love & gentleness that only comes with the strength of Jesus dwelling in them.

·      Mentor moms pouring themselves into young moms - just as had been done to them from their mentor through the Young Lives program only a few years earlier.

·      Napping with a sleeping toddler in your arms - in the midst of a chaotic, busy room of girls and babies.

·      A baby’s first shower.

·      Moms exchanging stories – funny stories about kids & sharing child rearing advice.

·      Girls sharing their struggles - losing friends during their pregnancies, defensive walls falling as they share their trials and we share our own trails with them.

·      Mentor Moms being role models – caring for their own babies while at camp and making sacrifices to leave their family for a few days as they serve the Lord and love on others.

·      Prayers, prayers, prayers - offered up for years, months, and days. Offered up during cabin time on our behalf from the hearts and minds and spirits of young servants.

·      A mentor mom (me) being overwhelmed by God’s faithfulness - watching my own kids serve on the work crew and love on others.

·      Changed lives - mine included

Join us as we ‘consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds, because we know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.’

James 1: 2-4

Kelly Foster, Mentor Mom

July, 2012

Windy Gap Trip Is Back!

Hey, everyone, it's Lauren Southard, a Young Life leader at Fayetteville High School! When I was asked to write the blog post about the high school team’s trip to Windy Gap,  I suddenly felt at a loss for words. How was I going to be able to fully paint the picture of our beautiful, spirit-filled week? Pardon me, while I type into words an indescribable week into a butchered description of, “The best week of your life!”

First off, I’ve been a camper. I’ve done work week, work crew, summer staff, and polar bear weekend. I had done everything except lead a group of girls at camp. I would be lying if I said it was easy. And to be honest, I found myself saying that phrase a lot while at camp. It’s not easy.

The cabin of girls I got to love were mostly underclassmen, ranging from 14-16 year old teenage girls. Many of them said they believed in Christ and I immediately thought, “This shouldn’t be too hard.” The Lord gracefully slapped me in the face Tuesday, not even 3 days in. We, as a cabin, got to explore our darkest corners. Our deepest hurts and secrets were revealed. I remember specifically sitting there with two girls buried in my shoulders sobbing, while I quietly asked the Lord, “Why?” Why is this world so harsh? Why is life so hard? Why do these precious girls have to endure this pain?

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t angry. I was really angry. I sat in a room with 11 other girls who all had to suffer issues way above their age level. It seemed so unfair. As I sat there thinking about how furious I was,  I could also feel a peace come over me. The Lord is the only one who could be behind that. It was like he was whispering, “I know.” He knows the hurt. He knows the pain. He feels it too. It’s an easy concept to understand, but when you’re blinded by anger and tears, it’s hard to grasp. It was as if He was in the room with us, crying and holding us close.

It took me a few days to realize the intimacy of that cabin time. The trust that was developed was incredible. We knew each other’s darkest secrets, but we still loved each other. What a beautiful display of Christ’s love! Looking back, I’m sure we were all unaware of the bond developing. But I can’t thank the Lord enough for it.

A passage another leader and I resonated on during camp was Isaiah 61:1-3:

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, 
to proclaim freedom for the captives 
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.

 Camp is all about binding up the broken hearted. We, as leaders, are sent to proclaim the good news to these high schoolers. That’s the easy part; visiting ‘dark corners’ is the hard part. We do not forget the part where we are called to “bind up the brokenhearted.” That’s not to say we’re saviors, because we aren’t. But we do know the Savior. And we want nothing more than for our high school friends to find freedom from those ‘dark corners.’

I can’t even count the number of times I found myself saying, “It’s not easy” to one of my high school friends. Life is hard. Following Christ is hard sometimes. Faith is hard. But the joy the Lord gives to us is unexplainable. Windy Gap put that joy on display. Sure, we have dark corners, but how hard would those dark corners be if we didn’t have each other to cry on? I found myself thanking the Lord for those ‘dark corners’ by the end of the week. Thanking him that we had an excuse to NEED him, and WANT him. Without my dark corners, I probably wouldn’t have been in that room. I wouldn’t have been a shoulder to cry on for my sweet high school friends.

My first time leading experience wasn’t easy. But it was SO worth it.